


To The Future

by SpaceStingray



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Fan Children, Father-Daughter Relationship, Future Fic, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:26:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29934078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceStingray/pseuds/SpaceStingray
Summary: The Crystal is restored, Thra can finally heal. Jen and Kira begin their family and all feels good with the world. But as their children grow, Jen becomes more concerned with their future and struggles with his duties of a king and being a father.
Relationships: Jen/Kira (Dark Crystal)
Kudos: 4





	To The Future

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I've been wanting to put down for a while. This isn't so much a headcannon as it is my idea of connecting The Dark Crystal with Age of Resistance. Pretty much, if Henson Studios asked me to pitch an idea, this is what I'd go with. Expect tags to change as the fic continues. 
> 
> I also recommend reading my other Dark Crystal fic, "Stepping Forward", because there might be hints back to that in this work.

Jen's bare feet thumped hard on the stone floor as he paced. He could have made another journey with his nervous strides, but instead he kept to making laps up and down the stretch of hallway that lead to the former emperor's chambers. Occasionally, Jen would spot a Podling and he would pause until they had continued onward, towards their own duties, and he would resume his pacing again.

Finally, after what felt like ages, the door cracked open. Jen raced over to meet the ever-judgmental gaze of Aughra as she slipped through the doorway. Her head was low, she released a loud sigh and shook her head.  


“Complications, they happened often before, Aughra has seen it many times.”  


Jen’s eyes widened. "Y-You mean…?"  


Aughra raised her head to meet his gaze. “Hm? Oh no no, she’s fine, they’re all fine!”  


Jen’s knees nearly buckled at the news. “They’re alright?”  


Aughra waved him off. “Yes yes, but complications made it a rough birth.” She shook a finger at him. “You best be sure to not smother either of the little ones. Could already tell you were going to do it to your queen, that's why Aughra had to kick you out here while it happened, can't do it forever though." She huffed and planted her hands on her hips. "Childlings are fragile things after all, need room to grow and get stronger, so heed my words."

Jen nodded vigorously. "Y-Yes, of course," suddenly his shoulders slumped. "Wait… either of them? Aughra, there's more than one?"  


“You gone daft? Not fitting for a king, it’s twins!” Before he could react, Aughra widened the opening in the door behind her and shoved him inside. “Now go dote on yer wife and childlings! Aughra’s earned some rest for once!”   


The door softly shut behind him. Jen stood trembling as he fixed his gaze upon the large bed at the far side of the room. Four Podlings were gathering blankets and rags that had been soiled. Kira was lying still, her body propped up against the enormous Skeksis sized pillows. In her arms were two very small bundles. Kira’s eyes fluttered open and focused on Jen, a weak grin slowly grew on her face. “Someone wants to say hello.” She croaked.   


Jen nearly dashed across the room until he reached the side of the bed, his face a tangle of worry. “C-Can I get you anything? Water? Are you hungry? Would you like me to-?”  


Jen was afraid to leave Kira’s gaze, she looked so fragile and pale after the hours of labor; it brought him back to the day he held her lifeless body in his arms as the castle crumbled around them. She chuckled and leaned her head back. “I’ll be alright, Aughra’s having a special tea being made for me. Some sort of Gelfling medical tea.” She gazed down to the little one in between them, then back at Jen. “Hold your daughter, say hello.”  


With that, his gaze finally broke away to focus on the newcomer. Jen’s breath caught in his chest as he gingerly snaked his fingers under the tangle of soft blankets. He had been taught how to properly hold a baby when Kira’s Podling brother had his first a few months back. He carefully sat on the edge of the mattress as he cradled the baby Gelfling against his chest. The little face was still pink, her nose twitched involuntarily as she wriggled in the blankets, her head was crowned with hair even darker than his own. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gazed upwards at him. Jen finally took in a breath of air as large, brown eyes gazed back at him. The little one gurgled and snaked a tiny hand out from under her covers. She reached up and pawed at the embroidered designs on his shirt. He lowered his face, allowing the little one to touch his cheeks, his nose, his brow, his hair. She gave a happy grunt as she explored with her hands. He gave a gentle kiss on her forehead before pulling away.   


“It hurts…” He whispered.   


Kira chucked as she gazed up at him. “What do you mean?”  


“I-I’m sorry, not like that…” He answered sheepishly. “It’s just… my heart is so full right now that it hurts.” He turned back to Kira. “May I see?” He gestured to the second child. Kira happily traded bundles with him. This one appeared more frail, her stirring was only through her sleep being interrupted. As she shifted, a flash of golden hair poked out from underneath the blanket. Jen kissed her on the forehead as well. “A miracle…” he whispered.  


Kira’s eyes were full of concern. “She was born second, we were afraid she wasn’t going to make it.” She shook her head happily. “But she proved us wrong.”  


“She takes after her mother.” Jen said softly. He placed a hand in Kira’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Strong, brave, a fighter.”  


Kira sat up to kiss him, the dark haired baby cradled in her hands. Just then, a grey haired Podling woman shuffled into the room with a tray full of tea and cups.   


“Is it finally time for me to see my Kira’s little ones?” The Podling asked in the language of her people.  


Kira giggled and beckoned her over. “Say hello to your grandchildren, Ydra!”  


~~~  


Dawn was beginning to wink over the horizon, the lush green fields surrounding the castle seemed to glow as the morning light reflected off of the tips of the castle of the crystal. From the very peak, two tiny figures peeked over the railing. They looked to each other, wide grins decorating their faces, and they turned to race down the stairs. Ducking under and around Podlings, they dashed to the great doors and pushed them open.

"Papa, Mother!" They called simultaneously, their little feet padding across the hard floor.

Kira rolled over, eyes still closed, and draped an arm across Jen's bare chest. "My love," she whispered, "your childlings are awake."

Jen rolled over to wrap an arm around Kira's shoulders. "Before the first brother rises they're your childlings…" he mumbled in response.

The dark haired girl was the first to climb into the great bed, crawling on her hands on knees until she was just a foot away from her parents' feet. "Papa…" She said in a softer tone, her round ears beginning to droop. "Come on, you promised…" Her sister crawled to join her from behind, adding a second pair of sad eyes pointed to Jen.

Jen opened an eye, the corner of his mouth tilted up slightly. "Alright, you two, I'm up." He said softly. The girls perked and leapt to their feet in excitement as the Lord and Lady of the Crystal rose to greet the day.

~~~

The ground shook as the hooves of the two landstriders pounded over the grassy plains. The little ones had been taught long before how to properly hold on when on the backs of the great beasts, but this was their very first time riding for longer than a few laps around the castle. This time they were actually traveling beyond the great valley of the Crystal.

Jen held firmly to his landstridker, occasionally turning his gaze down to the little one sitting in front. "How are you, Ydra?" He asked. "Do we need to pause?"

"N-No, Papa, I'm alright." The dark haired childling said. Even though she trembled, her eyes were wide with excitement. She tilted her head back to gaze at her father, grinning. Jen nodded back to her, then urged his steed onwards, up a hill towards the great forest.

Traveling through the forest was filled with chatter, the girls had never seen trees so big or animals so vibrant. "Keep your voice low, Myla." Said Kira gently. "Many of the creatures here are not as friendly as others, you must always walk with caution when in the forest, understand?"

"Yes, Mother." Said the yellow haired childling, eyes still pointed up, gazing at the light that peeked in between the canopy.

Soon, the sound of drums and excited calls greeted the ears of the Gelfling. Jen chuckled as he guided his landstrider to a gentle canter. Ydra turned to gaze at him curiously, he gestured ahead, causing her to turn back forward. The childling perked excitedly when she saw the round structures among the trees, with glowing windows and billowing chimneys. Podlings raced to and fro, announcing in excitement that the Lord and Lady of the Crystal had arrived with the princesses.

Jen and Kira helped the girls dismount safely and brought them among the Podlings. Ydra and Myra greeted the crowds with the standard "Fala avo", though the pronunciation was shaky the public cheered in encouragement. It was then that an elderly Podling pushed her way to the front and wrapped her arms around the two little ones, doting on them as a proper grandmother should.

Kira turned to Jen, who nodded and said. "Go ahead, Kira, they have every right to know your family."

"Will you be alright?" Asked Kira, her pointed ears turning down slightly.

Jen nodded, still grinning. "Of course, I'll meet you tonight." He then turned and walked away. He was soon encircled by a group of elderly Podlings that carried papers, gardening tools and canes.

Little Ydra tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Where's Papa going?"

Kira sighed, placing a hand on Ydra's shoulder. "Papa's doing important stuff, we'll see him again."

"Can I go with him?"

"No, sweetheart, grandmother is going to show us around. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"I suppose…"

~~~

"The land is healing, but not fast enough." Said Snips the Shepherd. "The Mounders will not be able to provide enough wool for the second village you are proposing. Come the cold seasons they will all freeze to death."

Jen looked over the piles of raw wool in front of him, one of many storage sheds that had been put aside for his proposal. His brow furrowed as he counted the individual piles. "One of these can make… how many blankets?"

Snips grunted. "Three, four if you want small blankets for children."

"And how often do you shave the Mounders a year?" Asked Jen, his eyes focused ahead.

Snips shrugged. "When they're long."

"Y-Yes, but how long does it take for them to grow wool? How long between clipping times? A Trine? Half a Trine?"

Snips's nose wrinkled. "We clip when we clip, what's that to do with Trine?"

Jen pinched the bridge of his nose. "I… I mean… maybe…" he sighed, shoulders slumping. "I think it's time for you to start recording your harvest."

Snips crossed his arms. "I've told you before, Gelfling, Podlings have no need for fancy pen and ink. Went along just fine without it." His beady eyes narrowed. "Records and scrolls is Skeksis talk, Skeksis doing. Podling not mirror Skeksis."

Jen held his hands up. "I-I understand, please, my intent is not to mirror Skeksis. Try to understand…"

~~~

As the first two brothers had completed their journey across the sky, Kira and the childlings had made their way back to the great feasting hall. There was plenty of vegetables, drink, and music. The Podling village had fallen head over heels for the princesses, taking special pride in the fact that they were born from the little Gelfling they had taken in many trine ago.

Kira looked up from her cat's cradle just in time to see Jen duck under the entrance, looking tired. Ydra and Myra stopped their own game of tag with the other Podling children and rushed to greet their father, who knelt and pulled them in for a hug. They chatted with him every detail of their day as he made his way next to Kira.

"And then Grandma showed us how to milk a Nebrie!" Piped Myra excitedly. "It was slimy and gross but I did it! I wasn't scared at all like Ydra!"

"I wasn't scared!" Retorted Ydra, still clinging to her father's hand.

"Yes you were, you were hiding behind Mother the whole time!"

"But I still did it!" Said Ydra, looking up to her father. "When Grandma called me over I milked it too!"

Jen smiled back down at his daughters. "Then it sounds to me like you're both very brave, I'm proud of you." He turned to Kira, sighing. "Sounds like you had a big day?"

Kira nodded, smiling. "It would have been better with you, love."

Jen sat next to her, letting the girls return to their game. "Yes, I'm sorry…" He said softly, he stared at a bowl of soup that had been placed in front of him. "This is ending up more tangled than anticipated."

Kira put her cat's cradle down and placed a hand over his. "Jen, Aughra did try to warn you about it."

"I know," he said. He turned to meet Kira's gaze. "But I still want to do it. The Podlings deserve it, and Thra is healing, I still think it's time."

Kira sighed, nodding. "Alright, just don't work yourself too hard." She kissed him on the cheek. "Podlings can be… stubborn."

Jen sighed, chuckling. "I figured that part out."

Kira giggled. "Well then, shall we take the girls at first light tomorrow to-?"

"No, I'm sorry, I'm needed back at the castle."

Kira's brow furrowed in concern. "What?"

Jen shook his head. "Forgive me, Kira, but we need to leave tonight."

"Tonight? But Jen, I don't understand?"

"It's a lot…" Jen said, then turned back to his soup. After he finished it, he told Kira about his meeting with the Podling elders and the new lists and supplies they needed right away, supplies that could only be provided from the castle.

"But Jen, we won't have time to show them-"

"I-I know…" Jen said, taking Kira's hands in his. "I promise, we'll bring them back many many times. They deserve to know about your family, and to grow up in a happy environment like this." He gestured to the happy music and the dancing Podlings. "We'll take them there, and we'll tell them about…" His ears turned down as his gaze sank to the floor. "But for now, let's let them be happy."

Kira sighed but nodded in understanding. "Alright, Jen." She said, rising to her feet and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I agree, let them be happy for now." She sighed, leaning her cheek against his hair. "But… I need you to promise me something."

Jen pulled away to meet her gaze. "Yes?"

She gazed back at him with worried eyes. "Please, be in your daughters' lives. Don't let your duties get in the way of that."

Jen turned to gaze at his children, now dancing with the other Podlings, and nodded. He turned back to Kira. "I promise." He said firmly, then rose to kiss his wife. "May I have the pleasure?" He said with a grin.

Kira giggled. "Promise you won't step on my feet this time?" She asked jokingly.

Jen blushed. "I-Did I?" He stuttered.

Kira laughed and pulled him towards the dance floor, she never tired of teasing him.


End file.
